The present invention relates to apparatus for pumping air to a submerged diver.
Many types of apparatus have been designed to allow a swimmer to breathe under water. The simplest, a snorkel, is simply a tube which extends from the swimmer's mouth to the surface. The disadvantage of a snorkel is that a swimmer would have to hold his breath to go any deeper than the surface of the water. Another apparatus is a pressurized tank which a diver wears on his back to supply air through a hose to a regulator in the diver's mouth. The diver can thus breathe at depths below the surface with the tank providing air at sufficient pressure to compensate for the water pressure at the particular depth. However, such a device requires a diver to undergo an extensive training course in the United States because of the dangers involved in breathing highly pressurized air. Another method for a diver to breathe under water is to have a pump located on the surface on a boat or otherwise pumping air through a pressure hose to the submerged diver. This air may be fed to the diver through a regulator or may simply be fed into a pressurized suit worn by the diver, such as for deep sea diving.
Another apparatus has been designed to float independently on the surface of the water and pump air at relatively shallow depths to a submerged swimmer. Such a device consists of a pump and a gasoline engine which are held afloat by attaching them to an innertube. However, such a device is only marginally seaworthy and risks contamination of the air from the exhaust of the gasoline engine. There is a need for a small floating device which can safely pump air to a submerged swimmer without contaminating the air.